Starting as a pirate, he rose to become the strongest Shinigami in Soul Society.

Chapter 52 Full Inheritance of Crocodile's Legacy

After her identity was revealed, Vivi seemed a little uneasy, but she quickly calmed down. It was clear that she had grown somewhat after training in the Baroque Workshop for so long.

Considering that this person had stopped Crocodile's plan to invade Alabasta right away, he probably meant them no harm. Therefore, Vivi displayed the elegance befitting a princess, giving a slight bow and saying, "Thank you for your help to Alabasta, Mr. Bane."

"It's not really about helping; I just have no interest in Crocodile's plans." Bane waved his hand and then said, "You heard it yourself; I called off this so-called 'Utopia' operation. Now it seems we have no further conflict. I hope that from now on, your Nefertari clan will not interfere with or make things difficult for Baroque Works' development here."

Although Bane's tone was calm and not threatening, Vivi still tactfully agreed, "No problem, our Neferutari clan would very much like to establish a friendship with you."

Crocodile's Baroque Works had already given their race a hard time, and Bane, who had killed Crocodile, was clearly more powerful and resourceful. Vivi naturally didn't want to be his enemy.

Having ascertained the other party's attitude, Bane nodded in satisfaction and said, "As far as I know, Crocodile has provided funding here."

At this point, Bane turned his gaze to Nicole Robin, who, having clearly done her homework, immediately gave her answer: "430,000 rebels."

"Yes, 430,000 rebels." Bane nodded, then looked at Princess Vivi and said, "Since we've called off this plan, these rebels shouldn't continue to exist. I think your Neferutari clan wouldn't want such a large armed force to continue existing in Alabasta, would you?"

"Of course, restoring stability and prosperity to the country is our goal," Vivi immediately replied.

"However, it's a little regrettable that Crocodile had already invested a huge amount of money in this rebel group before I came, and as you know, as I just said, I need a lot of Baileys," Bane said softly, looking at Vivi.

Vivi wasn't stupid, so she naturally understood what he meant. After thinking for a moment, she immediately replied, "I think the rebels haven't spent all of this money yet. If we join forces to recover it, we should be able to get some of it back. At the same time, on behalf of the Neferutari clan, I'm very willing to offer you a considerable reward for your help."

Upon receiving this reply, Bane laughed heartily and said, "Very good, Your Highness. I have felt your sincerity. If you encounter any problems in the future, our Baroque Works will be happy to help you solve them. Speaking of which, you are now one of us. If you are interested, we can keep this position for you. We hope that our friendship will last forever."

Alabasta is a world-class military power. As a top-tier military power, they not only possess a massive military force but also hundreds of thousands of professional soldiers.

At the same time, Alabasta must also possess enormous military production capacity!

The main reason why Bane wanted to establish a friendship with the Nefertari family was that, in this respect, the new navy not only needed money, but also needed to turn that money into military equipment.

Building a complete and productive military-industrial system from scratch is inevitable, but Bane currently lacks this capability, and it would also require a huge amount of time and money.

Therefore, before mastering this ability, they still need a partner who can help them.

Alabasta is undoubtedly the right choice. They may not be able to build warships, but they can certainly provide weapons and ammunition. The new navy's arms and logistics need such strong support!

Taking over Alabasta and inheriting its productive forces is too risky. After all, the Nefertari clan is no ordinary family; they are legitimate descendants of the Twenty Kings of the Plain Yellow Banner. Bane isn't a hothead like Crocodile, so there's no need for him to take the risk.

Especially since this country is located in the first half of the Grand Line, Bane doesn't want to establish his base in such a place; the limitations are too great.

In comparison, he felt that the New World was more suitable as a base, since the local government's control over that world was weak.

In the New World, Kaido's territory seemed very suitable to Bane. Wano Country also possessed a strong military industrial capacity, so inheriting Alabasta's legacy was not appropriate, but inheriting Kaido's legacy was very suitable.

At their first meeting, there was no need for many words; both sides simply expressed their attitudes. Bane got the result he wanted, and Princess Vivi was also relieved of her heavy burden.

After a pleasant exchange, the meeting ended.

Vivi said that once all the Alabasta issues are resolved, her father will personally visit Bane.

Bane did not refuse, but he felt that by then, he would probably no longer be in Alabasta.

After everyone left, what remained were Bane's core group: Issho, Zoro, Nami, and Nico Robin.

The group huddled together in Crocodile's office and began discussing what to do next.

"Robin, I've told you some things before. We'll all be joining the Navy, and your identity is clearly not suitable," Bane said, sipping his tea and looking at Nico Robin.

Robin nodded naturally and said, "I understand, so I will stay in Alabasta to keep an eye on Baroque Works, maintain the organization's operation, and reserve enough funds for you."

"Well, so I'm leaving everything here in your hands. If you encounter any problems you can't handle, don't try to tough it out. Contact me anytime, and I'll help you." Bane gave this instruction first, and then added very solemnly, "Finally, there's one thing I need you to remember."

Robin's expression turned serious upon hearing this, and he said softly, "Please give your orders."

Bane smiled and said, "In my eyes, you are more important than the Baroque Works as a whole. Therefore, if any unforeseen circumstances arise, I hope you will prioritize your own safety. If necessary, you can give up everything here."

Robin was taken aback for a moment, but before she could feel touched, Bane changed the subject, saying, "The Nefertari clan possesses a Poneglyph in their burial temple. You can talk to Vivi or Cobra about it later. If we encounter any Poneglyphs during our journey, we'll take photos and fax them to you. As for the contents of the Poneglyphs, you don't need to tell me; I'm not interested in that stuff."

Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!

Robin remained silent for a long time after hearing this, before softly saying, "I understand, thank you."

Bane waved his hand, not saying anything more about these matters. Soon, under Nami's eager encouragement, everyone began to check how much Crocodile's legacy was left.

Robin took out equity agreements, Yu Yan's accounting books, and other related documents from the safe, along with Yi Xiao, and everyone eagerly began to peruse them.

"Oh my," Bane said, raising an eyebrow as he looked at Rain Banquet's information. "That guy Tesoro is also a shareholder of Rain Banquet, owning sixteen percent of its shares."

Tezoro is also the only shareholder of Rain Party besides Crocodile.

This is understandable, considering Crocodile owns 3.6% of the Golden City, which suggests that he has a good relationship with Tesoro.

In addition, Crocodile's assets are spread across many regions. He has shares in many well-known hotels, and has cooperative relationships with many giants in the underworld.

After studying it for a while, Bane didn't delve into the details and said, "Compile all of this. For now, we can't reveal the news of Crocodile's death. Everything will remain the same. When the time is right, we'll transfer all these assets to our own name."

"No problem," Robin immediately agreed.

(End of this chapter)